As part of the Fortive Corporation, Qualitrol has a strong culture of integrity and compliance which is critically important to our success.
Qualitrol UK (the “Company”) is making this statement pursuant to our obligations under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015 (“MSA”) and it details the steps the Company has taken to ensure that slavery and human trafficking are not taking place in our supply chains or in any part of their businesses.
Qualitrol forms part of the Fortive Group (“Fortive”), an international group of corporate entities whose principal activity is the production and supply of high quality, specialist technology to solve customers’ critical needs.
Qualitrol provides condition based monitoring across the globe for utility assets. We are the largest and most trusted global leader for partial discharge monitoring, asset protection equipment and information products across generation, transmission and distribution.
Our company and its wider group deplore human trafficking and modern slavery in all its forms. We support the MSA and its underlying aims.
It is the established policy of the Fortive Group that workers at supplier facilities have the right to freely choose employment. Fortive further expects that all suppliers who do business with Fortive and its subsidiaries will comply with all applicable laws, including the laws against forced or involuntary labor, and this expectation is embodied in Fortive’ s Supplier Code of Conduct, available here. The Company wholeheartedly supports these values and objectives.
A significant portion of Fortive’ s Code of Conduct for Suppliers addresses labor standards. This part of the Code of Conduct mandates fair treatment in terms of remuneration and working conditions and prohibits abusive, violent or demeaning conduct towards employees as well as precluding all forms of involuntary or child labor, including prison, bonded or indentured labour, and engagement in any form of human trafficking, as well as discrimination.
Fortive publishes a human trafficking and slavery statement pursuant to the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act 2010, which is available here.
During the financial year ending 31 December 2016, our Company considered its response to the MSA.
Having done so and having taken advice, our Company is embarking in the current financial year on implementing a system of checks on suppliers. Our methodology will be to conduct a risk assessment, based on the Global Slavery Index (“GSI”) and other bodies of empirical research which highlight sectors where slavery is prevalent.
These checks involve engaging with suppliers in relation to slavery and trafficking issues, considering the content of statements issued pursuant to Section 54 (where available), sending questionnaires designed to elicit relevant information to gauge a supplier’s slavery and trafficking risk or where considered appropriate by following up with meetings or supplementary requests for further information. Where available, we will review the content of statutory slavery statements issued by organisations pursuant to Section 54. We also intend to pay attention to the practices of those suppliers who enjoy the highest levels of business with us.
The Company is engaged in an on-going risk assessment exercise designed to identify areas of risk within its supply chain.
We consider that the areas of highest risk come from suppliers who make use of facilities in those countries where the GSI indicates an elevated slavery and trafficking risk.
The Company has a global supply chain. Whilst we have no information to suggest any of our suppliers are tainted by practices of forced labour or trafficking, we fully realise the importance of remaining vigilant and keeping this under review.
Equally, we will not lose sight of the fact that modern slavery and human trafficking practices are also occasionally found in the UK, albeit on a smaller scale. Closer to home, therefore, we will not forget that certain industries may be prone to exploit low-skilled, low paid or migrant workers and require them to work in conditions or under terms that are unacceptable. These known problems are examples of issues where we will be vigilant in our due diligence exercise. Our due diligence efforts to date have revealed an encouragingly high level of awareness of modern slavery and trafficking amongst our Company’s suppliers.
We are also aware that certain employment agencies can have an elevated slavery and trafficking risk, particularly where they make travel arrangements or other arrangements on behalf of workers coming to the UK. The Company, however, makes limited recourse to such agencies, meaning our exposure to this trafficking risk is low. Nonetheless, we will remain vigilant and ensure that employment agencies form a part of our due diligence efforts. Furthermore, where we deem it appropriate, we will ask questions of candidates during the recruitment process which are designed to spot red flags and determine whether there could be problems.
The Company will implement training programs for our staff, concentrating on those areas of the organisation where personnel are most likely to meet slavery or human trafficking.
The Company will also circulate fact sheets about modern slavery and trafficking to our staff with a view to raising awareness within the organisation.